"I think people are beginning to feel we're back -- or at least we're on the way back," said South Florida economist William B. Stronge, a professor emeritus at Florida Atlantic University.

In fact, this year Florida may begin to start outpacing the nation in economic activity, said Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness.

"We’re starting to see a bit of acceleration," Snaith said.

The Sunshine State already has a lower unemployment rate than the nation's -- 7.1 percent vs. the country's 7.6 percent, he noted.

"2013 is shaping up to be a year for Florida to transition back into higher growth," Snaith predicted.

This month's UF consumer confidence survey saw respondents' overall opinion that they are better off financially now than a year ago rising this month. So did their confidence that their personal finances will improve in the next year.

Their optimism spilled over into a sunnier view on U.S. economic conditions, both in the coming year and over the next five years.

Finally, the survey shows that consensus of whether now is a good time to buy a big-ticket item such as a television went up to a post-recession high, McCarty said.

Several factors explain Floridians' current optimism, including the state's lower unemployment rate and rising home prices, McCarty said.

"The housing market is showing clear signs of recovery," said UCF economist Snaith. "That helps to restore the wealth that so many Floridians lost" during the Great Recession.

Still, Florida has a long way to go, said FAU’s Stronge. He pointed out a report released Monday that showed Florida is still short of about 500,000 jobs from the pre-recession high of more than 8 million jobs, according to the business group, the Florida Chamber Foundation.

But some of those jobs were fueled by the housing boom that went bust, helping bring on bad economic times, Stronge said. Florida won’t return to those numbers for a while, the economist said.

Nevertheless, "every indicator shows things are returning in the direction of normal," he said.

Conducted June 1-20, the UF study surveyed 434 Floridians across a demographic cross-section. The index used by UF researchers is benchmarked to 1966, which means a value of 100 represents the same level of confidence for that year. The lowest index possible is a 2; the highest is 150.

Floridians are feeling more upbeat about the economy than the rest of the nation with consumer confidence growing in the state in March, according to a monthly University of Florida survey released Tuesday.

It's comes to no surprise to residents of the commonwealth that Virginia is growing. Like many fast-growing Southern states, Virginians appear to love sprawled-out cities and suburbs, according to recent 2014 U.S. Census estimates.

The last 11 months have been difficult for Anthony and Eldrie Scott, with every holiday or milestone bringing another reminder. They had lost their only child, something they pray no other parent has to experience.